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First time visit in 4 years. I know I need work. Feeling scared and lonely

M

Madamemercury

Junior member
Joined
Feb 9, 2017
Messages
1
Hi everyone.

Like the title says I've not been to the dentist in four years. Last time I went was because of an impacted wisdom tooth that was badly infected and needed removing. Before I had the consultation I nearly passed out from the panic I felt. Before then I'd been twice before when I was 16 for two fillings. It was painful, and embarrassing because I was chastised for the state of my teeth. Probably fairly tbh.

Once my issue with the wisdom tooth was diagnosed I went home, cried a lot, and found a "fix" in corsodyl mouthwash. The pain and swelling went and I didn't go back to the dentist. Over the years I had intermittent but annoying pain from what I knew to be cavities. But since I'd put up with the wisdom tooth pain it didn't bother me too much until this week. It's been awful. I've had a week off for my birthday, and it's just got worse and worse every week. Before the pain got awful I knew I had cavities on the right hand side, I can't chew anything remotely sweet on that side without searing pain so I swapped and chewed everything on the left had side. Now that side is painful all the time, not just when I eat. It's bad enough that I feel I can't eat or drink without it getting worse. Stepping outside in the cold air is awful.

I stupidly had a feel around with my tongue yesterday and can feel both a cavity and a sore "bump" in between my teeth, and today to make matters worse, the pain has increased and I felt with my tongue and fingers a large hole in one of my top front teeth, about the size of a pin head.

I'm so scared of the pain and uncomfort having this will cause, but I'm scared of being told off about the state of my teeth. They're yellow, and wonky and overcrowded. They've been screwed since I was a teenager. My whole family Have bad teeth, and I guess because I thought it was inevitable I didn't look after them like I should have and now I'm paying the price at 23. (24 tomorrow. Sarcastic yay) I can't get them whiter, I've tried and tried and I'm v. Self conscious of that fact so if I laugh I cover my mouth.

I feel so sick at the thought of just the consultation on Tuesday let alone getting all this fixed. :( I wish I didn't have to go on my own.
 
Re: First time visit in 4 years. I know I need work. Feeling scared and lonely

I can assure you dentist are NOT demons, neither enjoy bashing on people.
They're health professionals that will seek for your mouth health and the grand majority are very professional.
I know it's scary, and i know it's shamefull to have bad teeths, been there, done that.
I'm 27 and i avoided for years the dentist. I was also in a lot of emotional pain, and depression a few years ago. When i got up and started to get a life i got an appointment with a dentist.
Of course my mouth wasn't in his best shape. I'm also a smoker so my teeth were really yellow. I had a broken front tooth from an accident wich was fixed when a kid and in my early twentys got broken again. I also had pain when eating sweet, cold or hot. Ice cream was a nightmare AND I LOVE ICE CREAM!
Well, the dentist was incredible. He talk me a little bit about the need of selfcare of course, it would be a bad thing NOT to do it, because we do need to care for us, and our tooth are a big deal of us, socially, for eating, for image, for laughing.
He take care of the few cavities i had. First he fixed my front tooth and i was incredible happy to eat a sandwich biting as a normal guy. Then he did 2 RCT and 2 fillings, and then he clean really well all the plaque.
I was extremely happy and self proud.
I greatly recommend you to embrace your way to a healthy, more happy, and satisfying life with these problems solved. Then you can keep taking care of them by brushing and flossing and rinsing and all the boring but extremely necessary things.
You're going to be all right. I'm dead serious about that, i already been there and there is NEVER to late.

Blessings.

Please come back to tell us how you doing!
 
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Re: First time visit in 4 years. I know I need work. Feeling scared and lonely

I echo what the poster above has said - a good dentist should never make you feel ashamed or chastised. Especially when we are beating ourselves up already!

I am going for my first appointment in over a year tomorrow. I know I need some fillings, I have a cracked tooth also, plus an implant needed to fill a large gap (I had an extraction last year). I've always had naturally yellow teeth so although the they're straight and even, I've not smiled properly for photos for over a decade, especially now perfect white teeth are everywhere in magazines and on tv. I'm really sick of being self conscious so I'm going to ask about having them whitened- or maybe even veneers. I think it'll make a big difference initially just to get my mouth healthy.

I'm also sick of being so afraid. I'm trying to think good thoughts- overcoming my fears, being lucky enough to have access to good dental care (my parents' generation didn't even get numbed before the drill!), taking control and going for the appointment is the first step.

Please know that you are not alone in your fears and worries! Read the success stories on here and keep going forward. Take it one step at a time. Sending hugs and good thoughts :)
 
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